User blog:I am that guy/Building Battleship Row
Hello, I am that guy here. Last month I built the USS Arizona for Pearl Harbor Day, then copied the ship to make Pennsylvania, the state I was born in. Since then I've been occupied, but now I've decided to build the eight ships of Battleship Row from Pearl Harbor. What is Battleship Row? Battleship Row was a line of docks on the southeast side of Ford Island, in the center of the harbor. The eight battleships of the US Pacific Fleet were often moored here when not in Drydock. On the morning of December 7, 1941, all eight battleships were in port. The only one not at its berth was USS Pennsylvania, who had been put into a Drydock to the south. Ships of Battleship Row USS Arizona: The most famous member of Battleship Row, the USS Arizona was launched as the second and last member of the Pennsylvania class battleships on June 19, 1915 and entered service on October 17, 1916. She never saw combat in World War One, mostly out of fear of U-boats. Through the 1930s she was modernized. On December 7, Arizona was the second most northeastern ship in Battleship Row. During the attack, a Japanese bomber hit the ship and detonated her magazine. The resulting explosion accounted for almost half of all killed that day. She was decommissioned on the 29th and was struck from the naval registry on December 1, 1942. The hull of Arizona, minus the superstructure and guns, remains at the bottom of Pearl Harbor as a memorial. USS Pennsylvania: The sister to Arizona and lead ship of the class, the USS Pennsylvania was launched on March 16, 1915 and enter service on June 12, 1916. Attached to the US Atlantic Fleet, she saw no action against Germany. Modernized in the '30s, she was moved to the Pacific and was chosen as Admiral Kimmels flagship, on December 7, the Pennsylvania was in Drydock and one of the first attacked. The Japanese attempted to destroy the door to the Drydock, flooding it and making the salvage of Pennsylvania and the two destroyers it shared the space with much more difficult. These did not succeed. The ship served until the end of the war, earning eight battle stars. She was decommissioned on August 29, 1946. Pennsylvania was then sunk as a target ship as part of Operation Crossroads on February 10, 1948 and struck nine days later. Her wreck still lies in bikini atoll. USS Nevada: The lead ship of the two-member Nevada class, the USS Nevada was launched on July 11, 1914 and completed on March 11, 1916. Although she saw service in World War One, escorting convoys from America to Britain, USS Nevada never fired in anger. She underwent a refit in 1927, and transferred to the Pacific shortly after completion. On December 7, Nevada was at the northern most dock of Battleship Row. Once the attack started. She slipped her moorings and made a dash for the ocean. The Japanese attackers tried to sink her in the entrance channel, which would close the harbor and bottle up the pacific fleet for months. Five bombs caused extensive damage to the deck and superstructure, while a torpedo tore a eleven foot hole in the side. She was beached to prevent closing the harbor. She reentered service in 1942 and earned seven battle stars. Decommissioned on August 29, 1946, Nevada was used as a target for Operation Crossroads. She was then towed to Oahu and served as a gunnery target for USS Iowa. Even against the full armament of Iowa, Nevada refused to sink. Just as she did almost seven years earlier. She was then given a final blow from an aerial torpedo and was finally sunk on July 31, 1948 and was struck on August 12 of that year. USS Oklahoma: Sister ship to USS Nevada, the USS Oklahoma was launched on March 23, 1941 and enter service on May 2, 1916. As with most of the battleships, Oklahoma never fired in anger, although she did sail to support the Grand Fleet. She joined the Pacific Fleet in 1925 before leaving for Philadelphia for refit. Her refit was completed in 1929 and returned to the Pacific. On December 7, Oklahoma was moored on the outside of the USS Maryland when the attack began. Almost immediately, three Japanese torpedoes impacted the port side, ripping it open. She then began to roll over onto that side. Oklahoma would come to rest at an angle of greater than 90 degrees, submerging the superstructure and trapping hundreds in her hull. The capsizing meant that rescue crews would have to cut through the ships armor belt to save them, the thickest part of the hull. When it was finally penetrated, most of the time it was too late, some groups had stayed alive for a month waiting for rescue that never came. She was completely righted on June 16, 1942 and moved to Drydock. After several months, it was determined that she was irreparable and was decommissioned on September 1, 1944 and sold for scrap in 1946. In 1948, whilst being towed to California for breaking, she and her tow were caught in a storm. Oklahoma refused to be scrapped and surrendered to the sea by capsizing, ironically the same way she was sunk, at Pearl Harbor. USS Tennessee: The lead ship of the Tennessee class, the USS Tennessee was launched on April 30, 1919 and entered service on June 3, 1920. She was completed to late to take part in World War One. The USS Tennessee, and her sister, were the first US battleships with a "post-Jutland" hull design, which emphasized greater underwater protection and improved fire control systems. After trials, she sailed into San Pedro, California on June 17, 1921 and joined the US Pacific Fleet. Along with the other ships of the Pacific Fleet, Tennessee went through a series a drills, practices, and exercises, all to be ready to meet any Japanese aggression. On December 7, 1941, Tennessee was moored on the inside of the USS West Virginia and had the USS Arizona at her stern. She was struck by two bombs, both of which detonated incompletely but knocked out a few of her main guns. After the Arizona's magazine exploded, debris was showered onto the Tennessee's deck. With the West Virginia to her side, and Arizona to her stern both sunk, Tennessee was trapped at her berth, and was so for ten days before being freed and taken to the West Coast for repairs. Repairs to Tennessee were completed on May 7, 1943, and she served for the rest of the war, earning ten battle stars. After the war she was placed into reserves and decommissioned on February 14, 1947. She would remain in reserve for twelve years before being struck from the Naval Registry on March 1, 1959 and sold for scrap on July 10. USS California: Sister to USS Tennessee and the second and last of that class, USS California was launched on November 20, 1919 and entered service on August 10, 1921. USS California was the last American battleship built on the west coast, and the only dreadnought to be so. After entering service, California was put in the Pacific Fleet and served as flagship. Like the other battleships, she underwent modernization beginning in 1929 and was completed in 1930. In her refit, California was given new radar and improved anti-aircraft guns. In 1939, she left for the Panama Canal and towards New York, where she participated in the 1939 Worlds Fair. In January 1941, she stepped down as flagship and was replaced by the USS Pennsylvania. On December 7, USS California was at the southernmost berth of Ford Island, and was the second southernmost member of Battleship Row. She was struck by two torpedoes that hit and exploded below the armor belt, causing extensive flooding. At 8:45, California was hit by an armor-piercing bomb that penetrated her upper deck and detonated an anti-aircraft ammunition magazine, an explosion that killed fifty. Repair crews were unable to stop the flooding, and after three days the battleship sunk and settled in the mud. She was raised and dry docked at Pearl Harbor for initial repairs, then on June 7, 1942 left for the West Coast. California had her repairs and refit completed on January 31, 1941, and would serve for the rest of the war and earned seven battle stars. She was decommissioned and mothballed with her sister, Tennessee, on February 14, 1947, she was struck twelve years later on March 1, 1959 then sold for scrap on July 10. USS Maryland: The second ship of the Colorado class (the Colorado's were the only ships not to have the class' lead ship present) the USS Maryland was launched on March 20, 1920 and then commissioned on July 21, 1921. She had a mostly uneventful inter-war life, present for the 1922 Naval Academy graduation and in Boston for the anniversary of Bunker Hill. For the first two years of her life, Maryland was the flagship of the US Navy, until she was replaced when the flag was moved to USS Pennsylvania in 1923. Maryland went into a refit in 1929 and was completed in 1930. She was relegated to patrols throughout the 1930s. In 1940, along with the other battleships, Maryland was transferred to Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, she was moored at Ford Island with the doomed Oklahoma on the outside of it, directly fore was USS California, and aft was Tennessee with Maryland's sister, West Virginia, to its outside. Maryland was protected from the deadly torpedo attacks by the Oklahoma, who capsized from said attacks. Many of the surviving crew of Oklahoma swam to the relative safety of Maryland. Maryland herself was hit by to armor piercing bombs that detonated low in the hull. She was arguably the least damaged ship of Battleship Row and returned to duty in June 1942 (Pennsylvania suffered less damage and returned to service in March, but as stated before, some do not consider her part of Battleship Row due to her being in Drydock.). Maryland served for the rest of the war and earned seven battle stars. She was decommissioned on April 3, 1947 and placed in reserve. USS Maryland was sold for scrap on July 8, 1959. USS West Virginia: Sister to Maryland and the youngest battleship on Battleship Row, the USS West Virginia was the fourth Colorado class ship launched and the third to be completed (the third, USS Washington, BB-47, had been launched on September 1, 1921 but was cancelled at 76% completion under the terms of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty). She was launched on November 19, 1921 and commissioned on December 1, 1923. She entered service on the wrong foot, in 1924 her steering column broke down and she ran aground off Virginia. In 1926, West Virginia took part in a joint Army-Navy exercise testing the defenses of Hawaii, more specifically Pearl Harbor. She had modifications done to her in 1930, including improved AA guns. As it became more and more clear that the United States would soon go to war, it was seen that the ships of the Pacific Fleet would act as a deterrent to advances by Japan, so the fleet conducted extensive exercises as a show of force. Evidently these did not work. On December 7, 1941, West Virginia was moored to the out side of USS Tennessee, directly in front was Oklahoma, with mere hours to live, and aft was the repair ship USS Vestal moored along side the equally doomed Arizona. During the attack, West Virginia was struck by three torpedoes below the armor belt, and at least two on the armor belt. Two bombs also struck her: one on the superstructure, the other on the number three turret. Both were duds. She was seriously damaged by oil fires caused by the leaking oil from the destroyed Arizona. The only thing that kept her from capsizing like Oklahoma in front of her, was prompt counter-flooding on the starboard side. The ship then sunk at a much preferable even-keel angle. She was re floated on May 17, 1942. West Virginia would remain in Drydock until 1944, when completed she bore an almost complete resemblance to California and Tennessee, differentiated only by her larger double turrets. She would serve for the rest of the war and earn seven battle stars. In 1947, "Wee Vee" was place in reserve and decommissioned on January 9. On March 1, 1959 she was truck from the naval registry and sold on August 24. Category:Blog posts